Asian Baseball History

Baseball was first introduced to Asia as a school sport in 1872 by American Horace Wilson, an English professor at the Kaisei Academy in Tokyo, Japan. The first organized adult baseball team, called the Shimbashi Athletic Club, was established in 1878.

At a match played in Yokohama in 1896, a team from Tokyo's Ichikō high school convincingly defeated a team of
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Baseball was first introduced to Asia as a school sport in 1872 by American Horace Wilson, an English professor at the Kaisei Academy in Tokyo, Japan. The first organized adult baseball team, called the Shimbashi Athletic Club, was established in 1878.

At a match played in Yokohama in 1896, a team from Tokyo's Ichikō high school convincingly defeated a team of resident foreigners from the Yokohama Country & Athletic Club. The contemporary Japanese language press lauded the team as national heroes and news of this match greatly contributed to the popularity of baseball as a school sport.

American missionaries brought baseball to Korea in the 19th century. In 1896, US Marines played exhibitions against teams of Americans expatriates and the Seoul Athletic Club. The sport flourished in the period of Japanese rule.[3]

On December 1921, a team of American Major League players stopped in Seoul during a tour of Asia, and a Korean team was assembled to play against them. The Koreans were defeated, 23-3.[4] Various Korean cities also participated in the Japanese Intercity Baseball Tournament, from its inception in 1927 until 1942.[5] In 1940 and 1942 Seoul won the tournament, defeating (respectively) the teams of Dalian and Osaka. At least one Korean played against a Babe Ruth-led team of American all-stars which toured Japan in 1934

Baseball has been played in Taiwan for more than 100 years. It was introduced by the Japanese who ruled the island from 1895 to 1945.

In the days of Japanese colonial rule, baseball was known as yakyu, the Japanese word for baseball. The game was initially played only by Japanese. But they later promoted the sport around the island to improve the people's physical and mental health.

The first official game played on the island was in March 1906 in Taipei City. Two local schools, precursors of today's Jianguo High School and the Taipei Municipal University of Education drew a 5–5 tie, opening the first page in the history of Taiwan baseball. Soon, other schools and business all over the island started to form teams.

At the end of the season, the championship teams from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan are invited to the Asia Professional Baseball Championship. From 2005-2013, champions competed in the now defunct Asia Series